Former Illinois Dem rep to run for third time against Dold

Former Rep. Brad Schneider (D-Ill.) announced Wednesday he’ll seek a rubber match against Rep. Robert Dold (R-Ill.) for Illinois’s 10th District in 2016.

“I am running because I am committed to bringing people together throughout our communities and across the aisle to make sure our children inherit a stronger and more secure future,” Schneider said in a statement. “The work we started two years ago is unfinished, and the challenges we face are too important to give up the fight to put our nation on a better path.”

{mosads}Dold was first elected to represent the district in 2010, but Schneider knocked him out of office in 2012, edging him by just 1.2 percentage points. In 2014, Dold reclaimed the seat, beating Schneider in the Republican wave year by 2.6 percentage points in the heavily Democratic suburban Chicago district.

Now, the two will face off for a third consecutive time.

Schneider said he enters the race with a grassroots network of 1,500 volunteers and 33,000 donors. He released a list of endorsements, which includes the entirety of the Illinois Democratic caucus, including Rep. Tammy Duckworth, who is running for Senate.

“Brad Schneider is a tireless advocate for the middle class and a fighter for Democratic values,” Duckworth said in a statement. “He is a staunch supporter of a woman’s right to choose, protecting the environment, and promoting equality. I look forward to seeing him on the campaign trail.”

President Obama won the 10th District with 58 percent of the vote in 2012, but the district has a record of voting for centrist Republicans. Sen. Mark Kirk (R-Ill.), who will be defending his Senate seat against Duckworth in 2016, held the district for a decade, and Dold followed with one term in Congress before his defeat.